Bottled Up
by Amber Lehcar
Summary: Soul is finally part of a happy family. But when the Black Blood returns, it may tear the family apart. Kinda based on a true story.


I must quickly vent about my previous stories. In Microsoft Word, I had little time/scene skip thingies. But when I put them on FFN, they disappeared! So this one actually has the time/scene skip thingies. Yay! A big thanks to spawnspetre who beta read this for me! Be on the lookout for the currently unnamed sequel that Electric Plum and I are collaborating on! It'll be under EP cuz she wants a lot more readers. Spread the love! Please read and review! I don't own anyone here but Karma and Michael. Sayuri belongs to Electric Plum.

* * *

The two had lived together all through school because they were a team. Weapon and meister, two fighting as one. So it was bound to happen. It didn't matter how it happened, but the two fell in love. The end justifies the means, right?

A simple wedding ceremony was all the Death Scythe and meister asked for. Just cool enough for Soul but not over-the-top for Maka. But the decorations, the location, and the people didn't matter. As soon as they saw each other smiling to the other, the simplicity melted away leaving magic in its wake.

But the magic didn't make the prospect of fatherhood any less frightening. As soon as she uttered those words, "You're going to be a father," he began to doubt himself. A tiny, fragile life depended on him for protection, guidance, love… he wondered if he had enough to give.

All doubt was eradicated when Soul held that tiny life in his arms. Forest green eyes stared up at him. They were just like Maka's. The doctor told him the baby was a girl. He and Maka hadn't come up with any names. Both were too indecisive. Maka turned to her husband and said, "She's going to be Daddy's little girl, I can tell. So you name her."

He mulled over it for a moment then answered, "'Soulina?'" Maka glared at him and shook her head. "Then how about 'Karma'? That way she has a similar name to her father and grandfather. Spirit, Soul, and Karma." Maka's glare melted into a smile.

"Karma it is then," she said, motioning for Soul to bring the newborn to her. Karma smiled up at her parents as if to say, "I approve."

* * *

Two years later, Maka got to name her newborn son. "'Michael', like the archangel," she explained. Karma reached out for her brother's small hand. Red eyes met green, and Michael took hold of Karma's hand. She giggled. Soul wondered what had ever made him doubt himself. They were a happy family. They always would be…

* * *

"Papa! When are you gonna teach me piano?" Karma asked her father, pulling on his pant leg. Maka carried Michael to the picnic area, humming "You are My Sunshine" to the boy. Soul carried a woven picnic basket with a red and white checkered blanket peaking out of it.

"Maybe tonight?" Soul answered hesitantly. "You can't tonight," Maka told him. "You promised Black Star that you'd help him correct papers." "Ugh… he's the teacher, not me. Why does he drag me into doing his job?'

"Papa!" Karma whined, taking her father's free hand. "But you promised to teach me!" Soul ruffled his daughter's hair affectionately and replied, "How about tomorrow then?" Karma hugged Soul's arm and giggled.

After setting up the picnic, the family of four sat down for lunch. "Uncle Black Star says I can go to school soon, Mama!" Karma announced. "Yeah! I'll beat up bad guys just like Maka and Papa!" Soul and Maka smiled at each other. They didn't know if Karma was going to be a meister like her mother or a weapon like her father.

Soul closed his eyes, taking in the peace and serenity of spending a beautiful day with his family. He listened to Maka and Karma chat about school while Michael ate silently. The chatter began to die away, slowly being replaced by a familiar song. The song skipped.

He opened his eyes to find himself sitting in a chair in the middle of a black and red checkered floor. He looked over to the skipping record player. He'd thought he'd gotten rid of the Black Blood. The familiar imp stepped into the room, chuckling lightly. "Heh, you and I are one in the same," the imp said, swaying to the music. "You can try to cage the animal, but it will eventually break out, Soul…"

Soul snapped his eyes shut. He heard two female voices calling out "Soul?" and "Papa?" respectively. He reopened his eyes to see worry on Maka and Karma's faces. Michael had fallen asleep. "Soul, are you okay? You haven't eaten a bite since we sat down. And, you've been sitting quietly for some time…"

"Just… resting my eyes. I'm fine. Really." Soul looked at the plates. All were empty aside from his own. The imp returning made him lose his appetite. "Ready to go home? I still have to help Black Star."

Maka looked from Soul to his food and back. The two of them had developed a system of communication without actually talking. He silently told her he might talk later… if he felt like talking.

* * *

"How was helping Black Star?" Maka asked after putting Karma and Michael to bed. "Some friend his is," Soul answered. "As soon as I got there, he ditched me to play with his daughter. I could've stayed home and given Karma piano lessons." The two crawled into bed. Soul pulled Maka close to him so that she could lay her head on his chest. He began stroking her hair. One of his ways to say "I don't want to talk."

"Soul, why did you space out at lunch?" she whispered. He didn't answer. "You don't space out like that. Tell me what's wrong… please?" He gently pushed her away from him and rolled on his side so his back faced Maka. "Why won't you let me in?" she insisted. "Talk to me!"

He turned to look at her. "I was thinking about how much I love our kids… how much I love you…" He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her in for a kiss. She put a finger to his lips.

"Don't think you can walk away from this that easily," she told him. Soul sighed. "It's the truth. There's absolutely nothing to worry about." Before Maka could respond, he rolled her onto her back and brought his lips crashing down on hers.

Just this once, she'd drop the subject. But she was still suspicious of her husband's actions.

* * *

About a week later, Black Star, Tsubaki and their daughter, Sayuri, came to the Evans' home for dinner. Sayuri, Karma, and Michael played tag around the house while Tsubaki and Maka prepared dinner. Black Star and Soul sat at the TV and watched sports until Soul said something about the noise level being too loud. He snuck off to his and Maka's room.

Tsubaki was eventually dragged away from cooking to stop Sayuri from beating the living daylights out of Michael for pulling her hair. Black Star's cheering became annoying while Karma plunked out a few notes on the family's grand piano. It was amazing that Maka didn't get distracted and burn the food with all the noise around her.

As soon as dinner was finished, she walked down the hallway to her room.

She called halfway down the hall, "Soul, dinner's ready!" She placed her hand on the doorknob then suddenly stopped. She could hear his voice… he was yelling at someone. That someone wasn't responding.

"Shut up!" she heard within. Maka could hear something crash against the wall. "Oh, what do you know?" Swallowing her fear, she opened the door. The room looked like a tornado had torn through. The lamp that once stood on the nightstand was now in a shattered mess on the floor. Feathers floated everywhere, no longer trapped within their fabric prison. Soul picked up a picture frame holding their wedding pictures. "Soul, stop!" she screamed at him.

The picture frame shattered against the wall. Maka felt her heart break along with the glass. "Just leave me alone, damn it!" he yelled while turning towards her. He accidentally slapped her face. Her wide, green eyes started to water. Soul gently held her shoulders. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I wasn't yelling at you! I didn't mean to hit you! I'm so sorry…"

Ignoring her stinging cheek, she asked, "It's back… isn't it? … The Black Blood…?" "I'm… handling it…" "Let me help…" "I just told you, I'm handling it…" "Let me help! We're in this together, remember? That's what you promised me when you gave me this!" she said, holding up her left hand to show him her wedding band.

"I never asked you to worry about me," he said, turning his head away from her. She put a hand to his face and turned him back to her, saying, "You never had to." She wrapped her arms around him. "Stop running. We can beat this together, I know we can."

Soul breathed in her familiar scent of mint. The scent he'd always associated with home. In his mind, he growled at the imp to leave him in peace… even if just for a moment…

* * *

After a normal dinner, Soul picked up Karma, swinging her over his shoulder. "Papa! What are you doing?" she giggled. He set her down on the piano bench. Her eyes lit up. "Papa… you're gonna teach me piano?" Soul nodded with a genuine smile. All was well now.

He set her hands on the keys for C major. "I'll show you your first scale," he said, holding out his hands as if he was at the piano. "Your right hand goes 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5." He moved his fingers to show her. "Your left hand goes 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1." He repeated with his left hand. Karma stuck her tongue out in concentration. Her fingers moved up the scale slowly, moving both hands simultaneously. Successfully moving up the scale, she attempted to move back down. "Very good," he encouraged his daughter. "Try it again, faster this time."

She smiled up at him before turning her attention to the piano once more. She began the scale again, faster and with more confidence. But, instead of hearing the simple scale, Soul began to hear a dark melody… the same one the imp always asked him to play. Suddenly, that very imp appeared before his eyes, wearing an evil grin.

Karma had begun moving down the scale when Soul grabbed her right arm. He squeezed her tiny wrist, making tears well up in her eyes. "Papa… that hurts! Let go!" She started flailing her arms, trying to release herself from his grasp. As soon as he let go of her arm, his own arm turned into a scythe. Bringing it up, Soul accidentally cut Karma right above her cheek bone.

The four year old held her bleeding cheek and started wailing. Soul stepped back, watching his left arm turn back to normal. Maka ran over to her crying daughter. The girl wouldn't remove her hand from her cheek. The remainder of the house came to see what the commotion was about.

Michael saw his sister bleeding and started crying himself. Sayuri held his hand, trying to comfort him. Maka picked up Karma and ran out the door, yelling behind her, "I'll be back! Watch the kids!"

Tsubaki guided Michael and Sayuri to Michael and Karma's room to play, leaving Black Star and Soul at the piano. "What was that about?" Black Star asked the Death Scythe. Soul looked down at his hands… the hands that had hurt his two favorite girls. "What the hell was that about?" Black Star yelled. "What's going on with you? Why aren't you answering me?" Soul pushed past his friend. "Damn it, Soul, get back here!" Soul ran out the door. His friend sighed. "He's really messed up right now… it'd be better if we just give him some space…"

* * *

"Sweetie, I need you to move your hand," Maka coaxed Karma. "Professor Stein needs to look at the cut to fix it." Karma carefully peeled her hands from her face. She stared at the blood staining her hands. First in horror, then in awe.

"Yes, just as I thought." Stein turned to Maka. "She's going to need stitches. It's so close to her eye, we're going to have to put her to sleep." "Stitches?" Karma asked her mother.

"Professor Stein's going to make sure you're asleep so you won't feel a thing. He's going to sew up the cut," Maka explained. Stein took the small girl's hand, guiding her to an operation room. The girl turned to her mother and asked, "Why did Papa hurt me, Mama? Why?" Doctor and patient disappeared into the operation room.

Wiping tears away, Maka headed home to check on Soul. Karma wouldn't be up for a few hours anyway.

* * *

Tsubaki placed a blanket over Sayuri and Michael sleeping side by side, still holding hands. The young girl knew something was wrong, so she continued to comfort Michael.

Her mother walked quietly over to Black Star who had taken a seat on the couch again. She stood behind the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you think he'll come back soon?" she whispered. "There'll be trouble whether he does or doesn't," her husband answered. "What do you mean?" she asked, pulling back. Black Star sighed. "He's not himself right now, Tsubaki. If he stays here, he may hurt someone again. If he leaves, he's leaving behind family and friends… people who care about him…"

Maka burst through the door, panting heavily. "Soul?" she called out. Tsubaki pointed to the sleeping children, a finger to her lips. Black Star explained that Soul had run our and not returned yet. Maka knew where to look for him: the forest near the cliff overlooking Death City.

* * *

Soul sat on the stone wall, feet dangling over the city below. The imp had suggested he jump. Soul suggested that the imp fuck off.

The sunset didn't have the calming effect most people get. The red hues, instead, reminded him of his daughter's, his precious daughter's, blood he'd spilled with his own hands. Reminded him of the mark he'd left on Maka's face, his own wife's face.

He heard rustling in the forest at his back. He turned and jumped off the wall, now facing the trees. The source was getting closer… he stood his ground, ready to fight. Suddenly, a figure sprang out of the trees and enveloped him in a hug. "Soul!" a female voice cried. Maka had come for him.

"Don't scare me like that," she said, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I thought you'd left for good…" "Maka…" When Soul didn't continue speaking, she pulled away and placed her hands on his chest. She looked up at him, eyes telling him she was afraid. Of him or what he was about to say, he didn't know. "Maka… let's end this…"

She'd heard him say those words long ago to trick Blair… but now, it really seemed like he meant it. "Look at me, Maka… I'm falling apart at the seams…" "Stop it! You think you've got it so damn hard? What about me? You think this is easy on me? You hate being alone, so let me in! Let me help!"

Determination flickered in her eyes. But no amount of determination could stop him. For his family's protection, Soul would have to leave them. "You want to help?" he asked Maka. "If you want to help your family… divorce me… I'm sure your dad will be thrilled…"

"You idiot!" she screeched at him, hitting her fists against his chest. "Why would you even suggest that?" "Because, Maka, I hurt you and Karma! Who's next, huh? 'Cause I definitely don't know! Me being gone would protect you and the kids!"

Maka sunk into his arms. "I won't leave you," she said stubbornly. As much as it killed him inside to, he pushed her away. Turning his back to her, he told her, "But I will…" He started walking away.

"Soul? Soul, don't go! Please, I'm begging you, don't go!" She chased after him, making him speed up. In an effort to shake her, Soul maneuvered through the forest. Maka tripped over a raised tree root, twisting her ankle. She watched helplessly as the love of her life disappeared, never once looking back.

As strong as the meister was, she couldn't hold back the tears. She broke down and cried, forgetting about her waiting family for the moment. "Please… come back… come home…"

* * *

Sayuri and Michael stood by the front window, faces pressed against the glass. They were waiting for Soul, Maka, and Karma to return. "Where's Mama? Where's Papa?" Michael asked. Sayuri took his hand and answered, "They're coming… promise!" She smiled at him. Returning her attention outside, the young girl saw a figure ambling towards the house. Sayuri let go of Michael's hand and placed her hands against the window to get a better look.

She saw Maka walking alone, obviously hurt. As Michael strained to see, Sayuri placed a hand over his eyes. "What? I wanna see!" he pouted. "I don't want you to be sad…" she replied.

The home phone rang, and Black Star went to answer it. Tsubaki walked over to the two children. She, too, saw Maka. "It's getting late, you two… time for bed…" she told them, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. Michael lingered at the window for a moment. He saw his mother in a weak state for the first time. She'd always been so strong… When called again, the boy followed obediently.

"It was Stein," Black Star informed his wife as she laid the children in bed. "Karma's awake. She's doing well." The two left the room, turning off the lights behind them. "Maka looked injured. We should go help her," Tsubaki told him.

After getting Maka inside and placing an icepack on her twisted ankle, Black Star told her that Karma was awake. "Walking home from who-knows-where isn't good for you ankle. I can get Karma for you, if you want, he offered. The blonde nodded. "Then I'll be back in a bit…" he said, walking out the door.

"He's never coming back, Tsubaki… Soul's never coming back…" Maka sobbed softly. Not knowing what to say, Tsubaki quietly hugged her friend. Her world was crumbling around her. The only thing keeping her standing was the fact that her children needed her to be strong.

* * *

Karma blinked the sleep from her eyes. The blurry ceiling came into focus. Stein leaned over her, blocking the blinding light. "Good. You're awake. I'll notify your parents immediately." Once Stein had left, Karma felt her cheek for any trace of her cut. Her fingers brushed against the stitches. She was reminded of when her mother had repaired the rag doll she'd torn to pieces. Karma wasn't the type of girl to play with dolls. She imagined herself looking like the doll, button eyes and everything.

Lost in thought, she almost didn't notice the door open. As Stein walked in, Karma jumped, frightened, and suddenly became engulfed in a blue light. "How very interesting…"

* * *

Michael snuck out of his room and ran to his mother. "Where's Papa?" he asked. Maka sat him in her lap. "He's on a trip," she lied to the young boy. "He'll be back… before you know it!"

Black Star entered the house, Karma walking in close behind. "Mama, Mama! Look what I can do!" the girl called. She stuck her tongue out in concentration. Blue light surrounded her left arm. It suddenly changed into the blade found on a scythe. "See? Isn't it cool?"

Maka picked up Michael and carefully hobbled over to Karma, enveloping her in a hug. "Yes… that's very cool… Your father would be proud…" Karma looked up at her mother's sad eyes. Why did it hurt to talk about her father? The new scythe decided not to ask… not to make her mother sad. She wouldn't forgive anyone that would make her mother sad…

* * *

This is actually based on a true story. My mother's friend married her highschool sweetheart. They had three children, I believe. He got a brain tumor and his personality changed drastically. He asked his wife to divorce him so she could have a better life. Sad face! I would appreciate it if all my readers pray for this family, but only if you want to. I'm not shoving religion down anyone's throat.


End file.
